EVERETT — Police are investigating if a series of escalating confrontations led up to a homicidal hit-and-run Friday night in Everett.
An Arlington man, 22, was driving a Chevrolet Impala shortly before 10:30 p.m. when he allegedly hit and killed a man standing in the road — apparently on purpose, according to police reports filed in court Monday.
The pedestrian was transported to Providence Regional Medical Center Everett, where he died from his injuries. He was in his 30s.
The identity of the victim, as well as the cause and manner of death, will be determined by the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The two men encountered each other around 4 p.m. Friday. The older man was in his RV parked in the 1400 block of Poplar Street when he saw a silver Impala nearby. He reportedly confronted the three people inside, suspecting they were using drugs.
The suspect later told police he was with his cousin and a woman. He claimed the man pulled a gun on them and hit the side of the car with it, according to police.
According to police, the younger man left, but returned later and threw a car jack at the man’s Honda Civic, hitting the driver’s side door. The suspect drove off.
He encountered the man again around 10:30 p.m., driving the Honda ahead of him in the 2200 block of 12th Street, according to court papers.
The Honda stopped and parked sideways to block most of the road, according to the suspect’s account. The driver then reportedly got out of the car, holding what looked like a stick.
The suspect told police he drove toward the man in an attempt to scare him. Instead, he allegedly hit him and knocked him down. The man’s head hit the pavement.
The driver fled without checking to see if the man was OK, according to court papers.
A witness told police that she saw the aftermath. She said she saw a woman screaming, trying to help someone on the ground.
Police found the suspect around 4:30 a.m. Saturday, on a bicycle ride with a friend. A mask covered the lower half of his face.
At first the friend allegedly lied to police, saying the suspect was at a park in another part of town.
An officer reportedly recognized the suspect and booked him into the Snohomish County Jail for investigation of second-degree murder, vehicular homicide and hit-and-run of a fatal crash. The man said he was addicted to methamphetamine and heroin, according to court papers.
The friend was arrested for allegedly giving a misleading statement. He’d also told officers that he had been biking to the crash scene with the suspect, who wanted to return.
Police recovered the damaged Impala outside the friend’s home in north Everett.
Detectives were looking for more information. Tips can be directed to 425-257-8450.
Zachariah Bryan: 425-339-3431; zbryan@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @zachariahtb.
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